Albuquerque has a new Ride!

21 brand new city buses just rolled in to Albuquerque. Studio Hill Design provided the concept and design work on the buses, including the new coordinated interiors. The new ABQ RIDE buses, managed by The City of Albuquerque Transit Department, are a big change from the previous bus designs.

“We felt this was a highly visible opportunity to help brand and promote Albuquerque.”

According to Sandy Hill of Studio Hill Design, “The city buses are large and they are everywhere. We felt this was a highly visible opportunity to help brand and promote Albuquerque. Working with ABQ RIDE, we selected 8 cultural icons unique to our city, and illustrated a different one on each bus, along with the tagline ‘Where You Want to Go.’ The illustrations will engage visitors and inspire them to see more of our city. Locals will be reminded of why this is such a special place to call home.”

In addition to the cultural icons that are displayed on the sides of the buses, Studio Hill Design developed an entirely new color palette for ABQ Ride. The palette was chosen to enhance and coordinate with the existing turquoise used on the bus shelters and on the Alvarado Transit Center window trim. A modern, fresh lime green was selected and used as a natural complement to this classic New Mexican color. The lower section of the buses are detailed with graphics representing the streets and bus stops of a transit map and applied in highly visible reflective vinyl to keep our city safer.

A new, coordinating ABQ RIDE logo was also developed as a modernized, simplified graphic that is easier to read and works well on various applications including the bus shelters, print materials, and of course, the buses themselves. Catch the Ride!